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Sandy Peterson, former UMD design instructor,
wears a head scarf known as a hijab.

Student art: Verses from the Koran form
the image and the text for this print by one of Pederson's students.

Student art: This book cover holds a
piece of black fabric that once covered the Kaaba, a sacred building
in Mecca

A Return from Saudi Arabia:UMD MFA graduate and Instructor
Volunteers at UMD

Sandy Pederson, a former art instructor and graduate student at UMD,
is now an assistant professor teaching graphic design at the Dar Al-Hekma
College in Saudi Arabia. Dar Al-Hekma in Jeddah is a private, all-girls
college of about 900 students.

Pederson is back in the United States on a shortened unpaid leave. She
is currently volunteering in the UMD Visual Digital Imaging Lab (Viz-Lab).
She will present "Women in Saudi Arabia Speak through Their Designs"
a talk on her Middle East experiences, at noon on October 23, in 154 MPAC
as part of the “Viz-Lab Presents” series.

Pederson’s talk featured the art of her students as well as her
encounters with another culture. “I went in expecting to find a
huddled mass of downtrodden women,” said Pederson. “I was
wrong.”

She contends that the image of Mid-Eastern culture portrayed in U.S.
media is not what she has found. Saudi custom stipulates that when women
are around men, they wear an abaya, a long robe, as well as a hijab to
cover their heads. Pederson says this degree of modesty is typical of
most residents, men and women alike. In the all-girls school, dress is
casual. However, when a male visitor arrives, an announcement is made
over a loud speaker so faculty and students can cover themselves.

Saudi Arabian law prohibits women from driving but Pederson said she
doesn’t miss it because Jeddah traffic is notorious for bad drivers.
“The driving has to be seen to be believed,” she said. “There
are taxi’s and shuttles so I can get around easily."

When Pederson took the position at the college in Jeddah, friends were
concerned she would find that all Americans were hated and that her life
might be in danger. She said he didn’t believe this. When she arrived,
she found her students were just as concerned that Americans hated Arabs.
“It upset them that they could be thought of as terrorists,”
she said.

“Mostly, the people I’ve met love Americans, they just disagree
with our governmental policies,” said Pederson. “The girls
in my classes are the sweetest people.”
Pederson believes her teaching experience in the Mid-East has had positive
impact, not only on her students, but for herself as well. “I’ve
learned just as much as I’ve taught,” she said.

Pederson said that she is glad to be back in the States but it isn’t
what she expected. “Its weird, I came back here and I felt a reverse
culture shock.” Where as many of us wouldn’t choose the Middle
East as a desired destination, Pederson can’t wait to get back.

The art her students create excites Pederson. Her students are encouraged
to reflect parts of themselves in their designs. She says that the posters
and books the students construct contain a sense of eastern visual literacy
that is seldom found in America. The designs contain Quran verses, Islamic
ornamentation, and mosaics.

“It is amazing how graphic design can address social issues,”
said Pederson. “A lot of the work is religious. The students want
to express what Islam is, and what it really means to be a moderate Muslim.”

Because they do not have movie theaters, and there is less of a media-driven
culture, posters are a newer art form there. Pederson teaches an entire
class on poster design. The students respond in fresh and unique ways.
Pederson believes that this marriage of eastern visual literacy with western
design methods is remarkable.